Mission Cinderella
by Abarero
Summary: Duo knew people did crazy things when they were in love, but perhaps this time he was taking things a little too far. With Hilde and Relena's help, and a fitting dress, he'll be going undercover to find out exactly how Heero feels about him. DuoHeero
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: This was written as a 4-part story for my claim at the livejournal community beatofdestiny. It's basically my take on a "plausible" way to have Duo in drag, since that boy needs a bit of his dignity back now and then.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 1

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"So you're going to another one?" Hilde asked, wiping a smudge of grease off her face.

"Yah," Duo muttered as he tossed aside a part that didn't seem to fit anywhere, "Since Heero has to keep such close tabs on Relena at these big fancy-smancy parties, someone has to take his normal job of hiding in the shadows and glaring at anyone that pisses him off."

Hilde laughed at that. She'd known for quite some time now that Duo harbored a not-so-small twinge of jealously towards Relena for getting Heero all to herself at functions like this. Whether her brown-haired companion wanted to admit it or not, he had it bad for his best friend and it was starting to show more and more.

"Does Heero dance with anyone else?" She asked, having to stifle a laugh at Duo's look of utter contempt at the thought. With Relena, he knew it was just as friends- with anyone else though...

"Why? Did you hear that he did?"

"No, I was just curious, that's all. It'd be funny to see the look on his face if some girl got up the nerve to approach him and ask for a dance though. He might be mellow around you guys, but when he's on the job watching out for Relena- damn, I sure as hell wouldn't want to mess with him."

"As if he'd let down his guard around Relena long enough to pay attention to anyone else," Duo remarked, picking at the ball of metal and wires he held.

The bitterness in his tone didn't go unnoticed, and the whole conversation was sparking a very interesting idea in Hilde's head.

"You should test him, then..." She said, thinking aloud.

"Huh?"

Eyes lighting up as the full idea manifested itself in her mind, Hilde turned towards her friend.

"That's it- Duo, you have to test him. See if you can get his guard down. See if he'll notice someone else."

Plopping down on the heap of junk they stood atop, Duo frowned in thought.

"What for?"

"Well, we'll never know if Heero will give anyone a chance if we don't investigate him- right?"

This, of course, caught Duo's attention. At least subconsciously, he'd been dying to figure out how to get himself noticed by Heero on a romantic level. If this ploy worked, he'd at least get an idea of what Heero did and didn't like in a possible love interest.

"How are we gonna get past the Yuy-Inner-Radar though? We can't just hire some random girl to try it."

"We'll use someone so close to him that he won't pick it up immediately. Someone who's familiar with undercover operations and with how Heero works."

"Hilde, I don't think you can get past him..."

She shook her head, reaching out and purposely smudging black grease onto Duo's nose.

"Not me, you silly. He'd never think that you'd come in disguise as a girl, right?"

Duo opened his mouth to reply, but found that he was momentarily speechless.

_"Okay, the dressing up as a girl thing will be annoying as all hell- but if I can just figure out what's going on in Yuy's mind when it comes to romance, it'll be worth it. I'll just get one of the other guys to cover my job and..."_

"I'll take your starry-eyed silence as a yes," Hilde cut in with a laugh, "You like him, don't you?"

His face scrunching up in embarrassment- Duo hastily crossed his arms.

"What? No! I'm just...worried about him. It's been two years since the war ended and he's not dating or anything."

Sitting down next to him on the junk pile, Hilde put an arm around his shoulders and whispered to him.

"Listen, I'll get the details set up for the party. Help you get the clothes and invitation and all. But in return, I want you to do me a favor."

He turned towards her, his bangs brushing against her forehead.

"What?"

"Tell me the truth. You like Heero, don't you?"

Duo stared, his entire body tensing up at the awkward question.

"Come on. You can't hide it from me, Duo."

His eyes darted down to the junk sitting beneath them.

"Define 'like,'" Duo murmured.

"Duo..."

"Okay, I won't push it."

The two sat in silence, both their eyes glancing up at the sunset in the distance. Gently, Hilde reached over and took Duo's hand.

"It'll be easier once you admit it to yourself, Duo."

"I know..." He said quietly, "I just don't want to lose him over something stupid like this."

"You won't," She said, voice full of confidence, "The Heero Yuy I've known since the wars ended would never take away something that's precious to someone. Even if that something happens to be his own presence in someone's life."

"Yah, he's great like that."

"So...?"

"I like him," Duo muttered under his breath.

Hilde released his hand to pull him into a hug, "That's the Duo Maxwell I know. Now, we just have to get you a really nice dress."

Duo frowned, "Are you sure this is gonna work?"

She nodded, "Just trust me."

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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"Today is the day," Hilde murmured to herself as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Tugging on some clothes, she walked out into the hallway and peered into the neighboring room. Luckily, it seemed that that Duo was still sound asleep.

Making her way over to the phone, she quietly rummaged around for the number to a specific private line.

"Aha- here we go…"

Dialing in the number, she waited for all the beeps and connections between the colonies. Finally, she was greeted by a warm voice on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Relena? Hey, it's Hilde. About that little party you're attending tonight…"

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Duo rolled and squinted against the sunlight coming through his bedroom window. Someone was knocking at the front door, he groggily registered.

"_Eh. Let Hilde answer it_," He sleepily reasoned.

But moments later, another knock sounded; and this time, it was on his door.

"I'm awake. What is it?"

"Duo, get up. We need to go shopping," Hilde said.

Glaring at the numbers on the clock, he stifled a yawn.

"Why so early?"

"Because I'm afraid I have other places to go before the party this evening," Another voice piped in.

Duo paused, then quickly scrambled out of bed and yanked on some clothes. Sure enough, he came face to face with none other than Relena herself when he pulled open the door.

"Relena?"

She laughed lightly at his shock, "I got a call this morning about a little plan you two are putting into motion."

The young man shifted his gaze to Hilde, a panicked "_How much did you tell her_?" etched across his face.

Hilde held up her hands in defense, "It's okay, Duo. I just told her we're trying to test Heero's guard. Nothing else."

He looked between the two women before sighing in defeat, "So let me guess- you're here to help with the dress shopping, right?"

Relena nodded as Hilde replied.

"I figured since Relena goes to these things all the time, she'd have a better idea of what kind of dress to stick ya in. Oh, and she's gonna get Wufei to cover your shift."

"Wufei?" Duo questioned, glancing at Relena, "You've been in touch with him?"

There seemed to be a light blush on the young woman's face as she replied, "We've been… in touch. But don't worry, Heero will just be told that you were stationed somewhere else at the last minute. I'll cover for you there."

"See, Duo? It's all taken care of like I promised. Now- to get you a killer dress."

Running a hand through his bangs, Duo sighed.

"I'm really gonna go to this in drag, aren't I? Sheesh, the things that I end up doing just because Heero's a nut-job. He's gonna owe me big time for this one if he tries anything funny with me."

"Don't worry. The most he'll do is threaten to kill you," Relena said, thinking back to her own first encounters with the young man.

Duo laughed, "I've lived through that already. I suppose I've got eight lives left then."  
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It was a warm, mid-summer's day in the colonies. All the appearances and effects of a normal earth-summer, down to the irritating humidity, were being produced via the colony's weathering system.

As the unique trio meandered down the street through the shopping district- Duo's mind tried to plot out exactly what to do and say later that night.

"Here we are," Relena said, stopping in front of an elaborate store window lined with beautiful gowns.

Duo and Hilde just blinked.

"Are you sure we've got enough money for this, Hilde?"

"Oh, don't worry about the price. Consider it my contribution to the 'Help Heero' foundation," Relena said cheerfully as she ushered the two others into the store.

Looking around at all the fancy ball gowns, cocktail dresses and accessories- Duo realized that this task was going to be much harder to pull off than some of his adventures during the war.

"We need to find something that will look nice on you without showing off that you're a guy. Let's start with these."

Relena lead them towards a selection of longer gowns in colors that were 'in' that summer.

"I'll be wearing a white gown, so we'll make sure yours is a bit more colorful. Got to make sure you catch Heero's eye, right?"

There was something in the way she said it, combined with the fact she was being so helpful with a plan that was basically testing to see if her bodyguard would fail her, that made Duo wonder just how much of this situation Relena had figured out.

But before he could ask the young woman just how much she'd figured out- Duo found himself being thrust into a dressing room with a pile of dresses.

"This better work…" He murmured to himself, yanking off his shirt and eyeing the first dress in the pile.  
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If Duo didn't know any better, he would have sworn he was looking at a beautiful young girl in the mirror instead of his reflection. Between the outfit, the makeup and the hair- the disguise was flawless. No one would ever know that the pretty brown-haired girl with the wavy hair and red dress was none other than Duo Maxwell.

"So…?" Hilde asked, edging up beside him to look in the mirror.

"I look pretty- damned pretty and…" He paused to laugh, "I never want to see myself in drag again. This is just disturbing, ya know?"

Hilde reached up and pushed a lock of hair behind his ear.

"I'm just gonna pretend you're Duo's long lost twin sister so the utter absurdity of this doesn't sink in."

"Hey, it was your idea."

"And you were the one so eager to go along with it."

The two shook their heads, laughing to themselves over the whole crazy situation. Smoothing out the dress on her friend one more time, Hilde gave him a quick hug.

"You're going to be fine. Then, once this is all done and over with- hopefully you'll have a better idea about Heero's feelings for you."

Duo snorted, "Do people always do stupid shit like this just because they love someone?"

"So now it's 'love,' huh? Not just like?"

A light blush appeared on his cheeks, as he gave Hilde a playful shove.

"Hey!"

"Okay okay, I'll leave you alone for now," She said helping him make his way to the door, "But I expect full details afterwards."

"Fine," He relented.

"Now remember. Relena's escort will take you to the dance, you'll arrive a bit late- but she hopes that it'll catch Heero's attention to have you walk in after the other attendees. You have any idea what you're going to say to him once you get him alone?"

"Somewhat, I figured I'd just kinda wing it depending on how Heero reacts."

Hilde opened the door, and gave Duo one last smile before watching him walk out.

"Good luck, Duo!"

"Thanks, Hilde. I'm going to need it."

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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The evening of the event was a lively one. Every invited guest arriving at the rich estate on the colony prepared to enjoy a nice night of dancing and conversing with fellow aristocrats of the time. As usual, Relena Peacecraft was one of the many honored guests that would attend, and as such, a select few personal guards were added to list of attendees. One of these young men was already escorting Relena out onto the dance floor and another waited by the door for a certain 'guest' to arrive.

Wufei glanced down at his watch and sighed.

_"Relena said that she'd be wearing a red dress and arrive about twenty minutes late."_

Looking up, the black-haired man noticed the young woman stepping out of a car. 

Duo felt positively strange; his normally braided hair was loose, and of all things, he was wearing a long, red dress. He walked up the steps to the estate, inwardly bracing himself for the plan he was about to put into action- along with muttering curses at how uncomfortable his shoes were.

"I cannot understand how people can walk in these things."

Resisting the urge to laugh at the person before him, Wufei shook his head, "_Well, I'll be damned. The late guest is indeed twenty minutes late._"

Duo glanced up to the man standing atop the stairs. Sure enough, it was his guard-replacement for the night decked out in formal attire.

"May I escort you to the ballroom, _Miss_?"

Inwardly wondering if Relena had tipped off the young Chinese man about the situation this evening or not, Duo decided to play it safe and act the part.

Keeping his voice up in a higher, more feminine pitch- he smiled and laughed lightly.

"Oh, yes. That would be nice."

Linking arms with Wufei, the brown-haired young man was led up the stairs and into the ballroom.

Many of the dancers paused, or at least looked up, at the late arrival entering. Whispers began, some wondering who the beautiful young woman in red was- others trying to figure out which rich family she must be from. Duo resisted the urge to roll his eyes and speak up.

"_Jeez, I feel like Cinderella. Well, except I didn't arrive in a pumpkin and the not-so tiny fact that I'm a guy._"

Leading the mystery woman down the stairs to the dance floor, Wufei caught sight of Relena from the corner of his eye and gave a light nod to her as a signal.

"Oh, I wonder who this is. I'm certainly not familiar with her. Do you recognize her, Heero?" Relena said casually, turning to her dance partner.

Frowning, the young man studied the young woman clad in red.

_"Brown hair, wavy- as if it's commonly worn in a braid. Eyes- dark, with an edge of uncertainty and mischief in them. Stature, similar to mine aside from the added enhancements to make the figure appear female. Weight, close to mine- Height, an inch at most taller than me."_

"Heero?"

Turning back to the young woman beside him, Heero raised an eyebrow.

"She seems suspicious. You know anything?"

Relena smiled, inwardly knowing that Heero already had seen through their ruse. But, not wanting to ruin Duo's plan- the young Miss Peacecraft shrugged and played along in hopes that Heero would as well.

"No more than you know, Heero. Maybe it would be best if you investigated."

His eyes widened a bit, curious as to what this whole masquerade was about and wondering how Relena and the others had arranged it behind his back. Whatever the reason though, Heero knew- it must be really important if they somehow got Duo in a dress for it.

Across the room, Wufei paused to let the 'young woman' off his arm.

"Have a good evening, Miss."

"Thank you," Duo said in his higher pitched voice.

Wufei began to turn, but then stopped and whispered back to 'her.'

"Good luck, Maxwell."

Blinking as the black-haired man walked back to his post, Duo shook his head. When Relena said everything would be set up to get him alone with Heero, she didn't hold back on tipping Wufei off about it either.

Catching sight of Heero and Relena across the room, Duo boldly walked up and curtsied before them.

"May I have a dance, Sir?"

Heero gave a quick glance to Relena who nodded her consent.

"I'll be all right, Heero. You should try and have some fun at these events anyways."

As she walked towards where Wufei stood, Duo sheepishly smiled.

"I'm sorry for seeming rude, sir. I just find it silly that most girls wait around for the guy to come to them."

Heero smiled at that, "It's all right. I find it interesting that you were brave enough to try and break that tradition."

Extending his hand, the two walked out to the dance floor and began to waltz.

"So what's your name, Miss?"

"Name? Oh," Duo laughed to himself, "Its Camilla Partrese. My father is one of the council members at colony L3. And you?"

Heero shrugged, "Heero Yuy, Miss Peacecraft's personal bodyguard."

"That must be an interesting job."

"It is."

A moment of silence fell between the two as they danced across the ballroom floor. Heero was inwardly smiling at how well thought out this plan was. Camilla was indeed the daughter of a council member at L3; a girl about their age with long brown hair. But, she'd not been seen out in public for over two years- her Father becoming a tad overprotective due to the war, and so no one was quite certain what she looked like currently. It was a perfect alias, Heero noted- slowly waltzing 'Camilla' towards the veranda.

Duo, on the other hand, thought things were running smoothly. Heero seemed to take the name seriously and he'd managed to not yet trip on his dress.

"_Now if I could just get him alone…_"

Spotting the veranda nearby, Duo stopped a moment and gave Heero a smile.

"Mr. Yuy, would you mind coming out onto the veranda with me? I'd like a bit of fresh air after all this dancing. And I'd feel much safer with you there."

"I wouldn't mind at all," He replied.

The two linked arms and they made their way out onto the starlit veranda. Absently looking at the roses, Duo casually spoke up.

"You're quite the dancer, Mr. Yuy. You must have danced with many beautiful girls."

Taking a seat on the stone bench, Heero repressed a smile at the situation. Gradually, he was beginning to see what this whole scheme was about.

"Not really. Relena's the only one I usually dance with."

"Is that so?" Duo said; trying to remember the dialogue he'd had planned. "I would think someone as attractive as you would have many girls seeking your attention."

Looking off into the city, Heero shrugged.

"They do, I'm just not usually interested."

Duo sat down on the bench, wincing at the way all the layers of the dress bunched up and trying to hastily smooth it out.

"You decided to dance with me. Is there something that made me an exception?"

Heero continued staring off at the skyline, thoughtfully musing to himself.

"You weren't afraid to ask. That was rather daring of you."

"Oh."

Duo frowned a bit, plotting his next move.

"_Damn it, I already know Heero likes people who are bold and daring. He's a former Gundam pilot so of course that appeals to him. What should I…_"

His thoughts came to a halt as he felt Heero gently taking his hand.

"Mr. Yuy?"

"Heero's fine, Camilla."

"Oh…okay, Heero."

"I have something I'd like to ask you."

Swallowing hard, Duo nodded. "Okay?"

"May I have your permission to kiss you?"

"Wha-what!" Duo slipped in his normal voice, quickly rushing to cover his error, "I mean- well…I barely know you and-and…"

Heero reached out, holding up a finger to silence 'her.'

"I just didn't want you to think I was acting out of line by not asking."

"_Must be some stupid high-class thing_," Duo's mind remarked before registering exactly what the question was. "_Wait minute- did he just ask to kiss me_!"

Heart pounding in his chest, Duo took a deep breath and tried to get his jumble of thoughts straightened out.

"_Just say yes. Stay calm and say yes._"

"O-okay."

Heero tentatively leaned forward, his hand resting against Duo's cheek as he kissed him.

"I'm- I'm sorry," Duo said, pulling away and standing hastily, "I have to go."

Rushing from the veranda, Duo entered the ballroom and seemed to disappear into their masses.

Heero stood moments later, his eyes looking desperately for the red dress amongst the crowds.

_"Duo, you've got it all wrong. That kiss wasn't for 'Camilla.' That kiss was for you."_

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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"_Stupid Heero, why'd he have to go and fall in love with Camilla_!" Duo fumed as he quickly retrieved his bag for emergencies.

Hilde had suggested it, in case he had to change quickly or he needed to fix up makeup or something- a large, purse-like bag to have checked at the entrance. And right now, Duo was just thankful that he'd stashed a set of normal clothes in it.

Quickly making his way to the restrooms, he noticed Wufei standing nearby.

"Hey, do me a favor," He whispered to the black-haired man.

"What's wrong, Duo?"

"Nothing," He lied, not in the mood at the moment to explain further, "I just need to change quickly. Can you see if the guy's bathroom is clear?"

Raising an eyebrow, yet deciding not to press Duo for answers at that moment, Wufei shrugged and went to check the bathroom as asked.

Returning to where Duo waited, he whispered back to him.

"It's all clear. I'll wait outside and divert anyone's attention until you come out."

"Thanks, I owe ya one."

The blaze of the red dress and the flourish of brown hair as it disappeared into the room caught the corner of Heero's eye and he quickly made his way across the dance floor.

Stopping beside Wufei, he glanced about before speaking to him.

"Did you see which way that girl went?"

"The one you just kissed?" Wufei said casually.

"You're observant."

"I'm just doing my job. Why do you need to find her?"

The two young men looked out at the dance floor, both of them noticing Relena casting a worried glance towards them.

Heero mouthed four words to Relena, confirming what she already suspected.

_"I know it's Duo."_

Taking a few steps, Heero leaned up against the bathroom door.

"I think the girl got the wrong idea, Wufei. You see, that kiss wasn't meant for Camilla."

The sound of something dropping inside the room caught Heero's ears, and he glanced over his shoulder at the door behind him.

"You've still got it bad for Maxwell, don't you?" Wufei remarked as Relena walked over to them.

"You could say that," He replied, noting the sudden silence from the room behind him.

"What happened?" Relena asked as she approached.

"He kissed her," Wufei explained.

"And I think Duo took it the wrong way," Heero finished, once again glancing at the door behind him.

Relena nodded, then reached out and placed a hand on Heero's shoulder.

"Then you'd better go get this straightened out."

"I'm guarding the door, but since you're the other guard I guess I can let you in," Wufei said with a smirk.

"All right, but you'd better fill me in on what this whole thing's about later."

Heero said, looking between the two before turning and slowly opening the bathroom door.

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Duo had been listening through the door, and with each new part of the conversation- his anger slowly dissipated into shock. As he hastily twisted the strands of his hair back into a braid, he noticed the door opening in the reflection of the mirror. It was Heero.

"Can we talk?"

Turning with a shrug and slouching down against the wall, Duo muttered a reply, "I guess."

Heero glanced down at the bag, the red dress still poking out through the top zipper. Looking to Duo, he noticed how flustered the other young man seemed. His jeans and black shirt obviously quickly pulled on, and his braid was far from smooth.

"You were listening through the door, weren't you?"

"…Yes."

Sitting down beside Duo, Heero glanced over at the bag once more.

"Can we talk about something now that Camilla left?"

Duo glared out of the corner of his eye, "Oh fine. Go ahead and laugh at me for being an idiot and thinking I could fool you with a disguise."

"You were that worried about me dancing with someone else?" Heero asked, his face and voice both sounding somewhat touched at the thought.

"Yeah well… it was Hilde's idea."

The room fell awkwardly silent, and hesitantly- Heero reached over and took Duo's hand. After a second, Duo intertwined his fingers and leaned his head over on Heero's shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, Duo decided that he'd take the first step forward.

"So, are we dating?"

Heero started at that, turning to look at him.

"Are you asking me out?"

"…I guess so."

Heero clutched Duo's hand tighter and took the second step forward.

"So, you're my boyfriend then."

Duo smiled, the laughter back in his voice, "Yah, and you're mine."

Shifting, Heero started to stand up.

"You want to go someplace else. I'm not fond of these fancy dances."

"Me either."

Extending a hand down, Heero helped Duo stand. As he got his balance, he paused to let the whole situation sink in. Nervously rubbing the back of his head, Duo diverted his eyes.

"So…can I kiss you now that I'm not wearing lipstick?"

Heero smiled, "Sure."

Leaning towards one another, their lips met in a second kiss.

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"You know, emerging from the bathroom disheveled is not exactly how I planned to end this night," Duo said laughingly as they walked back out to the ballroom.

"You're the one who came in a dress," Heero replied.

The two paused a moment to look at the dance floor.

"Is it all right to leave Relena?"

Heero pointed to where the young woman was with Wufei, "I'd say Wufei will take care of her."

Duo's eyes widened and he grinned, "Well, well. Looks like we aren't the only two sneaking a kiss around here tonight. All right, since Wufei's taking care of Miss Peacecraft- let's get out of here."

The two slowly headed towards the doors and headed out down the stairs to hail a cab. Midway down the stairs, one of the red shoes fell from Duo's bag and Heero paused to pick it up.

"Heero, promise me that you'll never make me wear a dress ever again."

Handing the shoe back to him, Heero smiled, "Okay, it's a promise."

THE END


End file.
